Born in 1976 under the name of Financijska praksa and published in Croatian, it came of age in 1995, when it was renamed Financijska teorija i praksa. From 2005 it was published in both Croatian and in English, and since 2010 has appeared only in English as Financial Theory and Practice.

In 40 years the journal has not only changed its name; the contents have also evolved in line with the political and economic context and the state to which the researchers have been integrated in the worldwide academic community.

In its early days, the journal was focused on the public finances of Yugoslavia, particularly on the technical issues of the tax and public finance systems of the day. After the collapse of Yugoslavia and the establishment of Croatia, the journal adapted to the transition from the socialist to a more market-oriented system and, subsequently, to preparations for EU accession. Most papers were largely from the field of public sector economics, but many also addressed a broader set of issues such as the transition to a market economy, the role of institutions, economic growth and development and EU integration.

Since the transition has been more or less completed, and bearing in mind the main research activities of the publisher of the journal, the Institute of Public Finance, in 2017 the name was changed to Public Sector Economics.